Is There Such a Thing as Free Pre-school?

There is St. Paul Lutheran Preschool in Royal Oak where I work. It is $10.80/ 3 hr. session. I don't know of any "free" preschool in the area. JB

There are co-ops which are cheaper than others. There is the First Congregational Church preschool. It's secular. It's $100/a month and it's great!! I sent both my kids there. You just have to work in the classroom every month and a half or so. It's in the phone book I think. It's located in Royal Oak.

Hi,
First off, Tina N is so misguided, I despise when person groups residents of the City of Detroit as lower income. That is something that the media has blown out of whack. EVERY city has bad points. I digress. There are plenty of Head Start programs throughout the state. You can contact your school district and they will direct to the right place. My daughter attended Head Start for two years,then went right on to kindergarten. The two years helped he out alot especially with her social skills that is what pre-k and kindergarten and mostly for anyway. Head Start is free, however, it is based on your income but not solely. The will accept a certain amount of children whose parents are out of their bracket and they have to accept a certain amount with disignated needs (something like Asthma, speech problems, etc). My child got in on the Asthma bracket. Also, you can look up information on Healthy Start or Even Start along with HIPPY Program. Check out the state website. Your child does not have to be considered learning diabled or destitute to receive alot of services that are out there. Parents pride usually gets in the way. Hope I have given you a "Head Start". FYI, some cities also have Early Head Start which caters to those 0-2. Yes, they do fill up quickly, however, a little kindness can go a long way in a situation like this. I know first hand. Do your research and prepare your child for this transition. Remember, it all starts at home.

Troy school district has wonderful pre-school programs and I don't think they are terribly expensive for the part time program. You can ask if they subsidize.

You can also call about the head-start program and see if you qualify. I know the Utica school district has a program. I'm guessing Troy programs also participate.

I live in the Warren Consolidated school district. They have a pre-school program called "World of Fours" which is for lower income families. You would need to sign up for the program and fill out a questionnaire. If you qualify and are chosen, the program is free. If you don't qualify - the regular nursery and preschool programs aren't too costly - you could look into those as well. Best of luck to you.

I believe that most private preschools (not through a school district) have a fee/tuition.
I am a member of the Troy Cooperative Preschool and LOVE it! Since each parent helps out in the classroom once a month, the tuition is lower then many tradtional preschools.
I know that the Troy Co-op offers a payment plan. Here's the website if you'd like to check it out:
www.troycooppreschool.com
Good Luck!

There is pre schools in madison heights , They are at schenhals its off of 11 mile and hales . My kids goes there he loves it this is his second year.

Most school districts have a low cost pre-school program. Sterling Heights has one and they also have community programs that are similar to pre-school. I live in Rochester Hills and the city has a pre-school program that is low cost...I do not belive you have to be a resident. Call the local school districts and check into community programs.

A.

Do you work or are you able to show any source of income at all? I am not certain, but I 'think' that if you are both working...you are then able to at least write off the expense of pre-school as "daycare". Again, I am not certain. But if you do bring home any income that the gov't sees, look into it. That could make preschool more affordable (esp if combined with a preschool that is a co-op program as the other gals pointed out). Good luck.

have you looked into a headstart program? I don't know the details on the program as far as income , but I have heard wonderful things about it.

Absolutely check into Headstart. And HURRRY, the waiting list is surely filling up for next year.

From what I learned years ago, there are a certain number of free spaces and low cost spaces for each school district. It is income based BUT if you live in a city that has a lesser amount of lower income families, i.e. Rochester Hills, you have a better chance. The maximum income level would be higher there. If you live in a city that has a lower median income, like Detroit, you would be less likely to be considered.

(Edited to avoid further offense)

A.,

In Ferndale there is a co-op nursery at Drayton Avenue Presbyterian Church. I believe the idea is that parents participate heavily in the program, making the fee very low. I'm sorry I don't have exact details- my friend sent her youngest there for a while, but it was 3-4 years ago.

Also, call your school district and ask about their government-funded program. You might be surprised at what the requirements are. Sometimes you qualify, even despite a higher income. If you don't get anywhere there- call the Berkley District. I know the women who head up the early ed. free programs there and they are wonderful. I don't believe you need to be in district to qualify. Good Luck!

T.